So my fine lady and I went on a quick getaway to the Bahamas. Its been a long time coming and we finally decided to do it. Glad that we did. It was our first cruise. Though it was expensive, with adding the alcohol package, massages etc. Thee were many lessons learned. I wanted to share what I learned. There is a lot to do on the cruise, I mean a lot. I feel like we just scratched the surface. Comedy, Standup, Karaoke, Movies, Casino, Clubbing, Concerts, just to name a few. Lounging a ton, food galore and more. If you plan it right, you would be golden.
One issue we had a problem with was with the "Cheers" package. This is a 15-limit a day on adult beverages for $56 a day per person. But this will have to apply to all in the stateroom. So if one one of you drink, and the other doesn't well, you still have to but it for each. Ours cost about $450 for the both of us. So if you plan on drinking all day, this is the package for you. On the flip side, this doesn't mean you have a drinking problem, the drink are uber weak and heavy on ice and water.
I normally drink Tito's on the rocks with a few limes, and can feel it after the 3rd, but no with these, I hit my 15 limit just one day and didn't even feel with you think you would after having 15 drinks. So with that, I guarantee you that the drinks are weak. I would recommend taking your own drinks with you, You can take a wine bottle in with you per person in the stateroom, but you can figure out how to fill the wine bottle with something else and bring your own mixers, or use their readily available beverage stands with juices, lemonades and punches as your mixer. That is a savings of $400. You are welcome. Next pointer, the food is good, but there are many people there, so make sure you time it where you are able to get in line for the dishes. They do many food-related events on the ship so pick your favorite and do it.
When you get to your Caribbean location, you will see many of the touristy spots to eat and drink. My recommendation, avoid them. We ventured out and walked a lot met some locals, have a few drinks laughs, and then ate at a local favorite eatery called "Pepper Pot Grill". This place was by no means fancy, but the food was so good and busy with locals, no tourists here. Well worth it. It might take you a few attempts to locate it, but locate it you must. I recommend their Oxtail, with Beans & Rice, plus their unique take on macaroni and cheese. or the Curried Goat with white rice, enhancing the favor of the already flavorful rice with the juices. You might even have the jerk Chicken, which was literally fall off the bone yummy.
The staff, I tip my hat to, they are the most hard working people that I have every seen in my life. I got to talking to many of them, and they all work 12 hours plus a day. They go on the cruise for 9 months straight and 3 months off. but they wouldn't share whether they are getting paid for the time off or not. Many are from other countries and get paid much less and even send most of their money back home to their families.
Our section on the deck was run by Nelson. A great guy and very genuine. He remembered our names and plays asked if we needed anything. Nelson has a son back home that is graduation high school very soon, so he was working as much as he could so that he can take the time off to be there for his son. This is the type of people that you have running your ship, people just like us. Anyway, it was a great experience.
So this is my homage to the over 1,050 staffers on the ship. Thank you for all that you do for the passengers, whether they let you know or not. We thank you.